Chapter 60: Wu Li Hong is Captured
Wu Li Hong ran through the dimly lit streets, finally arriving at Chen Xue Wen’s place. By then, the sky had turned completely dark.
She knocked on the door, but there was no answer.
Frowning, she quickly pulled out her phone, ready to call him.
Before she could dial, a man suddenly stepped out from the shadows. He had a neatly combed middle part and a thin mustache curling at the edges of his mouth.
He smiled. “Little girl, looking for Chen Xue Wen?”
Wu Li Hong narrowed her eyes, her guard instantly up, but she said nothing.
The man didn’t seem bothered by her silence. He chuckled. “You must be Wu Li Hong, right?”
“So it’s true, you’re quite the beauty.”
Wu Li Hong instinctively took a step back, her voice cold. “Who are you? What do you want?”
The man’s smile remained. “The name’s Ding Three.”
“Chen Xue Wen is at my boss’s place for dinner tonight. He told me to wait here. If you came looking for him, I was to bring you along for a meal.”
Wu Li Hong’s mind worked fast. She wasn’t stupid—something was off. Chen Xue Wen had no way of knowing she’d come here tonight; her visit was completely impulsive.
This was obviously a trap.
Still, she had learned a thing or two from her time with Chen Xue Wen. Instead of exposing her suspicions, she played along, forcing a smile. “Really? Where is he?”
“Chen’s Grand Restaurant,” Ding Three answered smoothly. “I have a car, let’s drive there together.”
Wu Li Hong nodded. “Alright.”
She turned as if heading toward the stairs, but the moment she passed Ding Three, she suddenly grabbed his shoulder, lifting her knee with explosive force—
Right into his groin.
Ding Three didn’t even have time to react before the pain knocked him off his feet. He collapsed, clutching his wounded pride, his face twisted in agony.
Wu Li Hong didn’t waste a second. She spun on her heels and sprinted down the stairs, heart pounding.
But she barely made it a few steps before figures emerged from the dark corners of the alley. Several men rushed her, hands clamping over her mouth before she could scream.
She struggled, kicking and thrashing, but she was outnumbered and outmuscled. They forced her down, binding her tightly.
Ding Three staggered down the stairs, his face dark with fury. With a grunt, he kicked her hard. “Damn it, you little bitch, you’re vicious, huh?!”
He turned to his men, his voice laced with venom. “Take her to Brother Snake’s factory, just like we planned.”
“I need to get to a hospital before this bastard injury turns permanent!”
The men snickered among themselves, but none dared to laugh out loud.
Wu Li Hong struggled with everything she had, but it was useless. They stuffed her into a waiting car and sped away into the night.
At precisely 6:30 PM, night had fully descended.
Inside a hotel room across from the Law Enforcement Squad’s headquarters, Chen Xue Wen and his three companions had just finished dinner. They passed time playing cards, enjoying the brief moment of calm.
A sharp knock at the door shattered the quiet.
Immediately, all four men tensed.
Even Li Tie Zhu, who had been focused on his phone, instinctively set it down and grabbed a wooden club he kept nearby. It was his weapon of choice.
Chen Xue Wen raised a hand, signaling for them to stay put.
Lai Hou quickly moved to the window, unlatching it for an easy escape route.
Wang Zhen Dong crouched by the bed, retrieving several packets of lime powder, ready to throw if needed.
They all put on their protective glasses—a habit before any serious fight.
Once everyone was in position, Chen Xue Wen approached the door and peered through the peephole. Outside stood only a hotel attendant.
Suspicious, he didn’t open the door. Instead, he asked, “What do you want?”
The attendant responded politely, “Good evening, sir. Someone left an envelope for you.”
Chen Xue Wen frowned. “Slide it under the door.”
The attendant did as told and then walked away.
Chen Xue Wen bent down and picked up the envelope. The weight of it was unsettling. He tore it open, and a stack of photographs spilled onto the floor.
His expression darkened instantly.
Lai Hou and Wang Zhen Dong crowded in to look, only for their faces to twist in horror.
“This… this is Sister Hong!” Wang Zhen Dong gasped.
In the photos, Wu Li Hong lay on the ground, bound hand and foot. Behind her, locked in an iron cage, coiled a massive python—gray and white, at least five meters long.
The snake’s beady eyes fixated on her, its thick body coiled tightly, as if already considering her its next meal.
Chen Xue Wen sucked in a breath. No doubt about it—this was Snake’s doing.
Rumors had already circulated that Snake had become even more unhinged after his release from prison. Some whispered he had taken in a python, raising it in his home.
It turned out the rumors were true.
And now, that lunatic had Wu Li Hong.
Lai Hou trembled. “That—that snake is huge! If it gets out… Sister Hong is dead for sure!”
Wang Zhen Dong’s hands shook as he cursed, “Who the hell did this?!”
Lai Hou’s face was pale. “Who else? That scumbag Snake! That bastard’s worse than an animal!”
As the room buzzed with anger, Li Tie Zhu suddenly muttered, “Wait… don’t snakes hibernate in winter?”
Lai Hou shot him an exasperated look. “Dumbass! That psycho’s place has heating. Why the hell would the snake hibernate?!”
Just then, Chen Xue Wen’s phone rang.
It was Ding Three.
This time, there was no ignoring it.
He picked up, keeping his voice calm despite the fury simmering beneath. “Ding Three, what’s the meaning of this? Trying to use Wu Li Hong to threaten me?”
Ding Three chuckled. “Brother Wen, good evening. I assume you got the photos?”
Chen Xue Wen forced out a laugh. “You really think this will work? You clearly didn’t do your homework. Wu Li Hong was the one who bribed witnesses and set me up before I went to prison.”
“You think I’d care if she died?”
Ding Three laughed harder. “Brother Wen, your history with her ain’t my business.”
“All I know is, Brother Snake has given the order—if you don’t show up at Chen’s Grand Restaurant by 8 PM, we’ll open that cage.”
Chen Xue Wen clenched his fists, his knuckles white.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Ding Three added. “That python? It hasn’t eaten in over twenty days. It’s starving.”
“So, Brother Wen, if she really is your enemy, consider it a favor from us. No charge.”
Ding Three’s laughter was infuriating.
Chen Xue Wen’s voice was ice-cold. “Fine.”
“I’ll be there before 8. But listen to me carefully—if she’s missing so much as a single hair, you won’t be seeing me at all.”
Ding Three grinned. “No problem. I’m just here to invite you for dinner.”
“You show up, and I swear on my own head, Wu Li Hong will be returned to you unharmed.”
Chen Xue Wen gritted his teeth. “Then wait for me.”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation